Tiella is named after the lidded terracotta pan it’s cooked in, a tegella. It can have a flaky or pizza-like crust—or no crust at all. The wide variations of crust give way to an equally wide range of fillings, so it’s hard to pin down this dish.
Tiella is widely available in Lazio and especially Rome, where the picture above was taken. It’s also a commonly seen dish on Pugliese menus with rice and mussels. Here are the best-known versions:
Tiella Barese – a Puglian casserole made with layers of potatoes, rice, mussels, tomatoes, and onions.
Tiella di Gaetá – From Lazio: two layers of crispy dough filled with boiled octopus or squid, tomatoes, capers, and the famous Gaeta olives.